Closer Proximity
by Tia The Dutchess
Summary: Wally is in love with Megan and the only way to win her heart is to team up with her room mate (and his arch nemesis) which might prove harder than the actual heart winning itself. Then there's the advice-guru who lives next to them, the creepy Brain Kid who presides in the room between theirs, The hot girls at the end of the hall, and the dick who lives about them.
1. Chapter 1

Artemis checked her school map again, the thing had practically been glued to her face the entire afternoon. She had made a huge mistake when she had told the student guide to "screw off and go bother someone else" because the stanford campus was massive, she was lugging around fifty pounds of luggage and her dorm turned out to be nearly impossible to find.

Nearly.

She took a deep breath and whispered, "Third time's the charm." before pushing open the huge doors to the cardenal house.

She was met by a blast of warm air and the faint sound of Icona Pop blaring from a room somewhere above hers. Artemis didn't know how they did it but somehow in the hour they'd been there her dorm mates had already made themselves comfortable, the kitchen was a mess as was the little study hall , cosmo magazines were scattered around by the sofa's in the main hall and the dining room looked like it had been ransacked by pigs.

Artemis cracked her knuckles, slung her backpack farther up her shoulder and made her way cautiously inside. "Hey new girl!" A cute girl with a spiky pixie cut called intercepting her before she even got through the door and giving her a high five.

"Hi." Artemis said a bit timidly. Normally Artemis wasn't the timid type but she found herself shrinking back into a shell she didn't know she had around really friendly strangers. Maybe it was because she preferred keeping to herself until she felt close to someone or maybe she really was just shy but whatever the reason it normally did make for very good first impressions.

"I'm Raquel." Raquel said pointing to herself. "My traitorous dorm mates put me on door duty because they're shitheads." Her voice raised to a thundering volume and Artemis could hear snickers from the floor above them.

"We love you Raquel." Came the muffled response and Raquel rolled her eyes. Artemis found herself grinning, it had been an hour and they already all seemed to be at home.

Artemis stuck out her hand. "I'm Artemis." Raquel grabbed her hand and pumped it enthusiastically. The sound upstairs stopped.

"Oh shit, they're coming." Raquel muttered, gesturing for Artemis to step back.

Artemis stepped back. "Who?"

"You're dorm mate, this is their idea not mine." Raquel covered her eyes with her hand and Artemis knew she should too, but curiosity got the better of her.

The elevator doors 'ding'-ed open and about eleven people poured out. Artemis knew the dorm housed fifty five people but she figured this must be the people from her floor, or some of them.

A red-headed boy stepped up and placed a stereo down. His hair was the kind that looked naturally tousled, his green eyes had this mischievous glint and his face was littered with freckles.

But when he pressed the play button all hell broke loose.

Robin Thicke poured out of the stereo and everyone just started dancing. It wasn't choreographed, it wasn't smooth. It was chaotic and people bumped into each other and more and more people poured out of the elevators, somehow Artemis had been sucked in.

Someone had reached out and grabbed her hand and pulled her in, currently she was doing some weird version of swing dancing with the red head who she decided she absolutely loathed, and then she was being tossed into the crowd and some people bumped against her. It took her almost the entire song to shove her way past people and make it to the elevator which (thank god) opened automatically when she pressed the button.

The doors closed behind her and she sagged against the wall in relief. After a moment to herself she pressed the button for the second story and the elevator briefly lurched upwards before stopping and opening.

Her room was 22A and fell directly in the middle of the hall, the door was wide opened and artemis knocked on it before taking a cautious step forward.

Inside a small red headed girl was tacking up kitten posters over a bed, at the sound of the noise the girl turned around. When she saw Artemis a smile lit up her face and she hopped off the bed. "Hi!" She chirped. "I'm Megan, you must be-"

"Artemis Crock." Artemis said cutting her hand and offering her hand. "Nice to meet you." Ignoring her hand Megan pulled her in for a hug.

"I've been waiting for you for forever! I got here like half an hour ago and-" Megan looked around the room and blushed, "I hope you don't mind I decorated bit."

Artemis kind of did mind but she just shook her head and said, "no." The room was littered with posters of famous boy bands and shirtless celebs, not to mention a few kitten calenders (how many did Megan take with her?).

"Oh, Hello Megan!" Megan cried hitting herself upside the head. "I have a gift for you." Megan ran over to the bed she had been standing on earlier and pulled out a duffel bag out from underneath it, after a minute or so of searching she pulled out a slender gift wrapped package.

Artemis shook her head in a firm no motion. "That's not really necessary." She felt infinitely bad for not bringing Megan a gift.

"Take it." Megan said. "It's a housewarming gift." Megan shoved the present in Artemis' hands and looked satisfied.

"I didn't get you anything –." Artemis tried but Megan waved it off.

"I didn't expect you to." She said and then stared meaningfully at the package.

With a sigh of defeat Artemis carefully picked off the wrapping paper. Megan looked at her excitedly and Artemis tried to look as happy as she could when she realized it was a kitten poster. "Thanks Megan!"

"Megs." Megan said. Artemis raised her eyebrow. "My friends call me Megs." Megan said again, "And this poster proves our friendship! Now hang it up over your bed."

With a little laugh Artemis went over to the empty bed, dropped her bags and taped the poster up. "Homey." Artemis said approvingly and Megan's face lit up.

"Yes." She said. "Now let's go, you have to meet the neighbors."

The music had died underneath them and people were already starting to come back to their rooms. Megan lead her to the room to the left of them and knocked politely on the door. "This is Kaldur's room." She explained. "He's on the swimteam, plans on running for student body and Is possibly the most helpful person on this floor."

Artemis wondered how much Megan could possibly know about these people from the hour she spent with them.

Megan leaned in and whispered, "He's also like the god of advice."

The door swung open. Artemis' first impression of him was 'tall'. He was at least six feet, he could practically be an NBA player (he had the muscles and the build). Tattoos were scattered up his arms and some peeked out from underneath his shirt.

"Nice tattoos." She said. "Do you play basketball?"

For some reason Kaldur found this ridiculously funny and Megan did too. Kaldur had a really deep laugh she noted.

"No." Kaldur managed, leaning into the doorframe. "Believe it or not I get that a lot."

Artemis bit her lip. "No shit." She said and he shrugged.

"Must be the build." He said and she smiled and nodded.

"You look like you were designed for basketball."

Kaldur blew on his fingernails. "Well not to brag but I'm pretty pro at it."

Megan snorted at this and interjected. "Don't listen to him, he's horrible at it." Again, Artemis wondered how she knew so much.

Kaldur smiled sheepishly. "Okay so maybe I'm not the best. Swimming is more my level."

"Megan told me." Artemis said, and Megan puffed her chest out in faux pride.

"I know all." She said un modestly and both Kaldur and Artemis laughed quietly.

"Well Archery is my thing." Artemis said. "Thrown in with a little boxing and what not."

Megan whistled and Kaldur looked impressed. "Well we have a little tough cookie." He said and Artemis shrugged modestly.

"Megs is like an olympic level gymnast." Kaldur pointed out and it was Megan's turn to blush and swat him away.

"I'm not that good." She said. "And there's our cue to leave." Megan grabbed Artemis away and led her to the door Raquel was unlocking. Kaldur gave them a half hearted good bye wave.

"Raquel, I take it you met Artemis." Megan said and Raquel nodded helpfully. The door clicked open, she pulled the key out and shoved it in her pocket.

"Yeah, New Girl right?" She asked, Artemis nodded. "Sorry you had to see the dancing." Raquel cringed like the memory was painful and Artemis laughed.

"No problem, but it was pretty awful."

"It was."

Megan interrupted their little exchange by saying, "Raquel is rooming with Zatanna, who hasn't shown up yet."

Artemis furrowed her eyebrows. "How do you know all this, seriously?"

Megan made a mysterious face. "I have my ways." She said in a heavily secretive voice. Artemis stared at her and she broke out laughing. "I like knowing my neighbors." She admitted.

Raquel nodded. "She get's very FBI social." She said, "Comes in, interrogates you and then is super friendly."

Megan pursed her lips and tries to look angry. "I do not." Turning to Artemis she said, "I'm not that overwhelming am I?"

Artemis bit her thumbnail and said, "No just very friendly."

Raquel snorted, "That's an understatement, she's a huge nosy sweetheart."

Megan fake pouted. "We're done here. Let's go see Klarion."

Raquel laughed. "Ouch replaced by the brain child. Whatevs, see you later!"

Megan gave Raquel a quick hug and Artemis waved. When the other girls door had shut Artemis turned to Megan. "What did she mean by 'Brain Child'?"

Megan grinned and bit her lip. "Klarion skipped like a bajillion grades." She explained leading Artemis to the door on the right of their apartment. "He's a totally braniac, but he's also totally weird. He's into like dark magic or something." Megan plants the two of them outside the door.

"Freaky." Artemis agreed. "Whose he live with?"

Megan shook her head, "No one, he got a single room."

Artemis' eyes widened. "I feel like that's even more freaky." Megan nodded.

"Believe me it is." Pulling Artemis to the next door she said, "And this is Wallace West and Conner Kent." Something about how she said Conner made Artemis think she had a bit of a crush on him. "Wallace like's being called Wally, Conner likes being called Conner. He's not big on Nicknames."

Artemis smiled and nodded blankly, trying to process all the information. "Got it. Do not refer to Conner as anything but Conner, Never refer to Wallace as anything but Wally."

Megan smiles and looks relieved. "Fast learner I think you're ready to take them on." Planting a firm fist on the door Megan knocks once before the door swings open.

A shirtless Wallace West hanging in the door frame trying to look like (what Artemis might assume to be) alluring. He just looked like a stuck up jack ass.

"Megs." he said in a smooth voice. "Funny running into you he –" His words died in his throat when his gaze landed on Artemis.

Her arms were crossed, she was glaring, and she looked more than unimpressed. Wally suddenly felt very under dressed. "Going for the Jacob Black Twilight look is very admirable but you don't quite pull It off."

That was a lie. He was all defined muscle and rippling pecs but she wasn't about to tell him that because he was obviously a major flirt. And there was nothing she hated more.

Wally returned the glare. "Whose this Megs." He said without taking his glance off of her.

"Artemis." Megan said. "My room mate."

Wally opened his mouth to say something but before she could Artemis was steering her away and towards the next door. "Right, thanks for talking with us."

The rest of the names were a blur to Artemis. There were at least twenty people on their floor if not more and she didn't really have the energy to keep up with Megan's enthusiastic babbling.

"And that was May Adams." Megan finally said as the last door closed and Artemis fought the sigh of relief that came out anyway. Megan checked her watch and her eyebrows jumped. "The student meet and greet is in five minutes and we're late!"

Artemis sighed, Something told her life around here was going to get interesting. And busy.


	2. Chapter 2

Artemis had learned one thing over the past two days.

Never open the window over the small fire escape connected to their room. She had done it once when their room got stuffy and Megan had given her a huge lecture because apparently the guys who lived above them got a kick from fucking up people's day.

Which they had done by dropping the stink bomb onto the fire escape and making the girl's room smell like a fart chamber times a hundred. There was a lot of gagging involved.

After that Megan called it the "Window of Fucking ups" because opening it would fuck up your day and if you opened it you were fucking up and she thought it was so clever.

It wasn't.

Artemis met the fart-bomb culprit two days later on the first day of classes. It was six in the morning and woe-be-her, she had a seven o'clock class. Anyways, she was sorting through the fridge on the first floor trying to find something edible that wasn't ramen or moldy (she failed) when a fairly attractive guy came into the kitchen and pulled open one of the pantries.

She couldn't help but look at him. He had a mop of messy black hair, a rather innocent face (despite the mischievous glint in his eye) and a wiry frame.

"hey." He said smiling a little. He still looked half asleep.

"hey." She said.

They worked in silence after that because she wasn't one to make pointless conversation (unless the guy was really, REALLY unbelievably hot like Wally's Room mate hot.)

Somehow the guy managed to snag one of those tiny boxes of cereal. "Where did you find that?" Artemis asked and he shrugged. "Fuck." She said. "Looks like I'm going to starve for my first day of classes."

He looked a little guilty before pulling out two bowls (where from, Artemis didn't know, she thought all the bowls were dirty and/or broken) and offering the second one to Artemis. "Can't have you starving." he said grinning.

She couldn't help but grin back, she grabbed the bowl and plopped down at one of the tables. The guy sat across from her.

"Thanks." She offered shoving as much cereal as she could into her mouth.

"No problem." He said earnestly. "Can't have one of my fellow students starving during class."

Artemis nodded and smiled gratefully. "My thoughts exactly." After a beat she added, "My name's Artemis."

"Pretty name." He said. "Which room do you live in?"

Artemis looked at him displeased. "Shouldn't you be offering me your name?" She asked, "After all I do need to know the name of my knight in shining armor."

He snorted. "Richard Grayson." He said, "My friends call me Char."

Artemis resisted making a joke about Ella Enchanted and instead nodded. "22A." She said and he started cackling like crazy. Her head snapped up and she looked alarmed. "What?"

He stifled his laughter and managed to gasp out, "You're one of the girls that live beneath me?" He laughed harder and her mouth formed an 'o'. He was the guy that had dropped the stink bomb?

"You made my apartment smell like farts." She grumbled and he laughed harder. She crossed her arms and gave him a hard look. "We had to buy like twenty things of febreeze. You totally owe me."

He raised his eyebrow and managed to choke out in a serious (giggle-free) voice, "The cereal wasn't enough?"

She shook her head. "Please, Febreeze is so fucking expensive. You owe us like a million dollars." Artemis sighed dramatically and Char grinned.

"I'll get on that." He promised in the most insincere way and Artemis raised her eyebrow.

"Liar." She said and Char laughed again.

* * *

Her first day of school was remarkably boring. It was just school.

The only entertaining part of the day was when she met up with Char and Megan for a picnic and Megan had dragged Conner along which meant (of course) Wally was coming as well.

Wally was about half an hour late but no one blamed him because his Organic Science teacher Mr. Brown was known to be a complete hard ass and would keep his students behind for ridiculously large amounts of time (Wally complained about this to anyone and everyone who would listen so everyone in their dorm knew about it.)

When he did show up, they were all kind of lounging around and his eyes lit up when he saw them. "Dick!" He crowed and all of their heads shot to them.

"What did you say to me?" Conner asked dangerously, his head snapping up. Conner wasn't exactly the most friendly person and though he and Wally were close, Artemis guessed that that was his version of politely giving Wally a chance to explain himself. With anyone else he would probably just beat the shit out of them and ask questions later.

Wally waved him off. "Not you." He laughed. "Him." He pointed at Char who held up his fist, Wally bumped it easily and settled down in between Char and Conner.

"Dick?" Artemis asked.

Wally rolled his shoulders casually and Char gave him a warning look but Wally missed it. "Yeah, that's what all of his friends call him."

She choked and Char (or Dick?) looked exasperated. "I thought they called him Char."

Wally snorted. "As in Ella Enchanted." Artemis fought a smile, not because he was funny but because she could barely imagine huge, muscular Wally watching Ella Enchanted. "nah, me and Dickie go way back and everyone used to call him Dick."

"Dickie and I." Megs corrected and Wally gave her a sappy smile.

"Right sorry." He breathed obviously smitten. "Dickie and I. Thanks sugar."

Char looked like he wanted to spontaneously combust, Megan was blushing like crazy, Conner looked like he was planning to strangle his room mate, and Artemis thought she might puke.

Did he just try and flirt with Megs?

"So." Conner said sounding strangled.

"So." Megan agreed in a light voice as if she was in shock.

"Your name's really Dick?" Artemis said and Dick threw his hands in the air.

"That's all you people get." He cried looking exasperated and Artemis laughed, leaned into him and gave him a friendly slug.

"I think it suits you." She said. "Char was a little too Ella Enchanted for me."

"For gods sakes you could have been called anything Dick and you chose 'Char'?" Wally said and Dick grumbled something about how Wally should go away and die which Wally laughed about for almost twenty minutes.

No one called him Char for the rest of the picnic.

* * *

The next morning a box of cereal sat outside her front door.

_1/105 apology boxes -Dick._

Artemis snorted, grabbed the box and slammed her front door shut.


	3. Chapter 3

_3/105 apology boxes -Dick (my room mate should really be helping pay for these - can you say pricey?)_

_P.S. The entire floor is coming over to your room this afternoon, be prepared. (and I'm like an honorary member of your floor)._

_._

_._

_._

Artemis grabbed the box of cereal and placed it on the desk that she and Megan had taken to placing all their crap on.

Megan groaned from her bed and flipped over to look at Artemis. "Who keeps on sending us boxes of cereal?" She muttered, her red hair poking over and her eyes glazed with sleep. "Do you have some of secret admirer that thinks cocoa puffs are romantic?"

Artemis snorted so violently the back of her throat hurt. "No." She managed wheezing. "Nothing like that, it's just Dick."

Megan rubbed her eyes, yawned and stretched. "So." She said finally. "Are you and Dick-?"

"Oh god, no!" Artemis cut in waving her hands madly with a disgusted look on her face. Megan giggled. "They're to make up for stink bombing our room."

Megan's brow creased. "They're the fucktards who made our room smell like a fart chamber?" Megan howled after a moment and Artemis nodded. "I'm going to kill Dick."

"And his accomplice." Artemis said dangling the note attached to the cereal in front of Megan's face. "He has a room mate."

"All out prank war?" Megan suggested and Artemis nodded.

"All out prank war." She agreed. Megan smiled evilly and popped her knuckles.

"This is so my element, I was just waiting for this." Megan snatched the note from Artemis and read it again. Megan screeched. "What do they mean the entire floor is coming over?"

.

.

.

.

Megan and Artemis spent the entire day cleaning their room because Megan (coming from some prestigious family) insisted it was impolite to host guests in a dirty home.

"They're not even guests." Artemis had complained. "They just invited themselves over, that's much ruder. It's their own fault if they have to sit in a pile of our dirty clothes."

But in the end Megan won the argument, like always, and they spent all their free time from class dashing back to the room and picking up where the other left off. By five O'clock the room was spotless.

Megan leaned back and breathed a sound of relief. "Perfect." She said. "I'm going to go put some cookies in the oven."

Artemis made a sound of protest. "We don't have to feed them too!" She moaned from her bed. She should be working on Econ 101 homework but she couldn't even fathom moving much less using her brain. Cleaning should be like an Olympic sport.

"We're not going to." Megan promised, bending down over their microwave which was crammed under their desk.

Why they needed a microwave in their apartment Artemis didn't know, but Megan's parents were always sending them expensively weird gifts college students didn't really need or have room for. The best example of this would be the plasma screen TV on the wall by the door, which had really been a struggle to fit there without having the door hit it every time it opened and closed.

Megan however couldn't bear to part with these items because they made her "feel closer to home". The only thing Artemis had received from home was a card from her sister saying something along the lines of, '_study well little sis_', and after she had read it Artemis had thrown it in the trash.

She wasn't exactly big on sentimental bullshit.

Before long the entire room smelled of cookies and Artemis's stomach gurgled. Megan threw her the box of cocoa puffs from earlier, "dinner time." She announced and Artemis laughed before digging in.

Megan checked her watch, "It's five, where do you think everyone is?"

.

.

.

Their apartment was packed before five thirty. Their entire floor had showed up (with the exception of the weird brain boy Klarion) and then some (Dick).

Turns out the reason Artemis and Megan's room had been chosen was because of their TV and the fact that there was a huge football game on tonight. Conner and Wally had brought beer, Kaldur had taken his best friend Tula along with him, Dick showed up with another red headed boy Artemis hadn't recognized but who had been introduced as Roy, Zatanna had brought along about a hundred red solo cups ("you can never be too cautious"), and Raquel had dragged along the girl from the other end of the hall, May, who she introduced to be one of her 'best childhood friends'.

Megan had to fend off all the other people who tried to come into their room, because eleven was too many already. The ones who ignored Megan and came in anyway got a face full of angry Artemis Crock.

Somehow someone got music to play at a deafeningly loud volume from Megan's iHome (so loud she was surprised the RA didn't come in and bust them). Drinks went around and the game turned on (and drowned out the music), people got to playing weird football related drinking games and giggling and sucking face.

Megan was totally proud of how well everything was going especially since it had been so last minute. Artemis was glad she was glad, but in all honesty she found the party irritating. She couldn't sleep or do her homework without someone spilling a drink on her.

People had crammed themselves on both of the beds to get a better view of the game since the room didn't have a couch.

Artemis was practically pressed up against her head board. Wally had ended up next to her and somehow he had managed to take up like all of her personal space. She had viciously snarled something about boundaries, and he had retorted with an equally rude and witty statement, and then had taken to glaring at each other.

If looks could kill, they would both be dead.

That was pretty much the entire night.

.

.

.

_4/105 apology boxes. -Dick (someone completely covered our room with Team Jacob Posters, any ideas on who it was?)_

Artemis snickered wildly and showed the note to Megan who broke out into giggles.

It turned out that Wally had a spare key to Dick's room and Megan and Artemis had coerced him and Conner into helping them get back at Dick and his room mate.

.

Megan's Lexus was saran wrapped the next evening.


	4. Chapter 4

_8/105 apology boxes -Dick _

_ p.s. I loved the meat in the shower head thing, Roy smells like BBQ now. I should really take my spare key away from Wally, Huh? _

_._

_._

Artemis handed the note to Megan who was curled up in her bed on her computer, typing away. "He liked the prank." She said and Megan looked up and grinned.

Last night while Roy and Dick had gone out to pick up groceries Megan had somehow convinced Wally to lend her his spare to their room. She had then proceeded to sneak in and jam some meat in their shower head so when the boys took a shower in the morning the water would be lovely, warm and meat-infused. It was diabolical really.

"Great." She said. "If they liked that, they're going to love what we're doing tomorrow."

Artemis plopped down on her own bed, and pulled her combat boots out from underneath it. "What are we doing tomorrow?"

Megan cracked her knuckles. "I don't know." She admitted. "But it's friday so that leaves the entire weekend up to plotting and pranking."

"The two P's." Artemis said. "I like it." She slipped her boots on and began lacing them up.

"The three P's, actually." Megan amended. "Because it's friday and that means partying!" Artemis groaned and flopped back into her bed.

Megan had desperately been trying to convince Artemis to go to some stupid frat party with her, Conner and Wally all week. And the answer was an ever firm no. But Megan was a patient and persistent person.

"No." Artemis said standing up, and grabbing her book bag off the crap desk. "I'll catch you after class."

"The party's at Kappa Alpha." Megan called. "Be there or be square."

Artemis looked back long enough to catch Megan's smug expression before she slammed the door closed and stormed off to class.

Because she knew whether she liked it or not she was going to end up at that party. Not that she was left much choice, what with Megan threatening her with squareness and all.

.

.

.

Wally was waiting for her.

Wally was waiting for her after class.

That was something that she'd never thought would happen, but there he was leaning against the large oak tree outside of her Strategic Communications class room.

"Wally." She called and his head turned towards the sound of her voice. He smiled when he saw her, waved and walked over to meet her.

"Hey Artemis." He greeted, she gave him a cautious smile. "So actually I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Yeah, okay." Artemis nodded helpfully. "I mean- what do you need?" She was taking strategic communications for fucks sake she should be able to say something more witty than 'yeah okay'.

She shot Wally an encouraging smile when he failed to say anything.

Wally looked like he was at a loss for words. Her encouraging smile became a little more forced. "It's about Megan." He finally managed and the encouraging smile dropped off of her face.

"I am not asking her out for you." Artemis said icily. "I'm her room mate not your wingman." Wally shook his head really quickly and held his hands up.

"NO!" He said forcefully and Artemis' eyes widened. He softened his voice and looked sheepish, "I mean no. That's not it." He blushed a little bit. "I just- I mean I really like her y'know?" He looked down at his toes and fiddled his fingers and Artemis kind of felt herself thawing out.

He looked up earnestly at her, "and I was just wondering If maybe you could give me some pointers on maybe like things she likes. I think I might be in love with her and I feel like she might be out of my league and-"

Artemis put her hand in front of his face to cut him off. "First of all Confidence is sexy."

He laughed. "That's what my mom always tells me."

Maybe she had judged this kid too early. Sure, he was obnoxious, loud and not aware of personal space but then again, is any guy? Those weren't really reasons to hate someone.

"Listen." Artemis said. "I'll clue you in on something. It's like a huge thing that girls love and you're pretty much guaranteed a date if you're man enough to do it. Would you like to know what it is?"

Wally nodded eagerly.

"Tell her. Everything. How you feel, how you see her. Sweep her off her feet, surprise her, and do it as soon as possible." Artemis said. "Because women love that."

Wally looked determined. "Okay." He said. "When?"

Artemis gave him an exasperated look. "Tonight." She said in her 'duh' voice.

He grinned. "Great- got it- gotta go get ready then." His eyes widened. "Crap gotta go get ready. Fuck! See you later Artemis!" He turned to dash away and turned to give her an awkward wave before tripping over his own feet,, her eyes widened and she braced ready to hear the sound of hit eating pavement, but he caught himself at last second and turned back to give her another wave before taking off.

This time she waved back.

.

.

.

.

The party was horrible.

Somehow she ended up alone halfway through the night, talking to some douche bag named Cameron who got her more drinks than he should have and then tried to stick his tongue down her throat.

Half drunk she still wasn't that easy so she ended up punching him in the nose.

Conner had appeared out of nowhere and dragged her off of Cameron and they sat in the corner for a while and she mumbled embarrassing things she wouldn't have mumbled if not for the alcohol like, "Conner you are so broad like fuck, so broad. You're shoulders are like as long as those long mountain ranges."

He had laughed quietly at what she had said and gave her cup after cup of water before hauling her to her feet and declaring that they were going home. She had muttered something like, "Wow that s'ounds great, you're like really good looking. I'm going home with you. Woah." Then she had waggled her eyebrows and slurred, "sexuaaaaal."

Conner had laughed really hard at this and gently reminded her that they lived on the same floor and were not going to be doing anything explicit. She had pouted and he had laughed harder.

The great thing about Conner was that he wasn't being condescending, he was actually laughing. She didn't feel like he was laughing at her pathetic inferior state but rather laughing with her and that this was some great inside joke they had. She decided she liked Conner, and his concern and his sweetness. If she had an older brother she would want him to be like Conner.

She vaguely remembered puking out the window of his car and then groaning, "s'my bad not all of it made it out." He had patted her shoulder and told it her it was okay and then he let her pick out a CD and when she picked out an adele CD he hadn't complained.

She didn't even like Adele so she didn't know why she picked it.

And then she was in bed.

.

.

Her head had spun when she woke up. She rolled over with a loud groan but clamped her mouth shut when she saw Megs was asleep in the other bed and that it was only two in the morning.

It took her a moment to orient herself, but she was on her bed and Megan had planted a bucket on her nightstand (she knew it was Megan because there was a note attached to it that read _Hangovers suck_ in loopy pink writing).

The bucket turned out to be the best idea Megan had ever had because a moment later Artemis' was puking. It took a few minutes for her to stop.

She became fairly aware that her mouth tasted horrible and that her throat was extremely dry. She dragged herself out of bed and managed to open the front door silently and make her way to the kitchen on the ground floor. She grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and threw herself down at one of the tables and rubbed her temples because she had the worst head ache ever.

The worst thing, she decided, was that she could remember almost every embarrassing thing she had done in stunning clarity. She wondered what had happened to Wally with his announcement of undying love for Megan.

She didn't have much time to think about it though because the huge front doors opened and Artemis heard giggling. Every noise just made her head worse. She decided against yelling "Shut Up!" because that would take too much energy and she wasn't sure yelling wasn't the best thing for her head.

There was a thump, and someone said fuck and then she heard the unmistakable sound of people making out. She groaned. Of course she would be here while people attempted to have sex.

She got up and hit the light switch to alert them of her presence.

She expected them to maybe scream a little and the flip her off and go elsewhere.

She did not expect Wally to be making out with the girl who sat behind her in econ (Linda?). She also did not expect him to pull back and look at her completely unabashed with swollen lips and mussed sex hair and say, "I can explain."

She did not expect herself to feel rage bubble up in her chest, she did not expect to storm up to him and she most certainly did not expect herself to smack him across the face and say, "You move on quickly." and then turn on her heel and race back to her room, ignoring the cry's of "I can explain! Wait!".

She didn't make it to the bucket this time.


	5. Chapter 5

The shriek was heard all across campus.

.

.

.

Megan was on her feet and to the bathroom door in seconds. "Artemis are you okay oh my god are you okay-?" She rattled the door knob.

About a minute later the door swung open, behind it stood a very pissed off, very pink haired Artemis Crock.

Megan's eyes widened and she caught her breath, "He didn't-"

"Oh he did." She said. "And something tells me it's not the stuff that will just wash out." Megan groaned.

"Of course it's not, we're talking about Dick Grayson here." Megan inspected Artemis' hair. "It's not too bad, it'll probably fade in about a month or so."

Artemis glared daggers at her. "I don't have a month Megan. I refuse to be seen in public like this. I need it gone now."

Megan bit her lip. "Well you could always dye over your hair or shave your head or you could bleach it."

Artemis sighed and sunk to the floor, clutching her towel around her. "Forget it." She said. "That'll only ruin my hair more."

She clutched her once golden locks mournfully. "I'll have to redye it and the tips will be dead and ruined. I'll have to cut my hair!" She wailed.

"No you actually don't-"

"I do." Artemis said. "Because my hair is super sensitive, and there is no way it survived over the counter dye." She ran her hands over the roots of her hair. "Maybe I can salvage the roots maybe I can't, but the ends have to go."

Megan sank down beside her. Her eyes blazed. "I'm going to kill Grayson for this one."

"No." Artemis said, and Megan looked over at her surprised.

"No?"

"No." Artemis repeated. "I'm going to kill Dick. And Roy." She looked at Megan determinedly. "Alone. Because this time it's personal. No one messes with my hair."

Megan looked sad. "I'm going to call my hairdresser and get an appointment for you, sorry goldilocks."

Artemis shrugged and punched the palm of her hand twice. "You don't have to be sorry Megs, Dick and Roy do."

Megan was suddenly terrified of Artemis.

.

_9/105 apology boxes. -dick _

_ Pink is totally your color, no? _

_ ._

Artemis stared at herself in the hair dressers mirror. Megan had somehow squeezed her into a twelve o'clock appointment with one of the top stylists, Ramone.

Currently Ramone was perched over her, laughing about her horrible dye job. "Totally amateur." He said. "I see why you want to go over it." He ran his thumb over a lock of her hair, "not even good quality dye." He clicked his tongue. "What have you done to yourself?"

Megan stood off to the side, with her arms crossed. "Nothing Ramone." She said. "Some dick thought it was hilarious to put dye in her shampoo."

Artemis almost laughed at Megan's play on words.

Ramone looked horrified. "How is this funny?" He asked gesturing to Artemis' bubble gum pink head. "This is terrible."

Megan shrugged sympathetically.

"So what look are you wanting to channel here?" Ramone asked clapping his hands and staring at Artemis.

"I was thinking you could dye it black and cut it short." Artemis gestured to about shoulder. Ramone studied her hair.

"Well the tips have to go." He announced, "But I wouldn't want you to lose all your lovely hair, and what about just bleaching it and then dying it back to a blond?"

Artemis shook her head. "My hair wouldn't be able to survive bleach."

Ramone clicked his tongue but didn't argue.

"How much can you salvage?" Artemis asked and Ramone squinted and looked over her hair.

"Hm, maybe about to here." Ramond mused, pointing at the top of her shoulder blade. Artemis smiled.

"Great." She said. "Make me over."

.

.

An hour and a half later Artemis left the salon a brunette.

"You look good." Megan said.

Artemis gave her a pointed look. "Really?"

Megan sighed. "Yeah, but I really liked your blond hair."

"Me too." Artemis said. "Me too."

.

.

She knocked on Kaldur's door about an hour later and he invited her in and made tea and she had talked to him about what Wally had done.

Kaldur rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"and I know he's not exactly the most faithful guy but for fucks sake, you can't move on that quickly." Artemis ranted.

Kaldur stayed quiet.

"and I mean with Linda. Linda!" Artemis voice became even more shrill. "She's about the most boring person ever, and Megs is Megs. You can't do that to Megs and I think he might have actually had a shot with her." Artemis waved her hands animatedly.

She collapsed back into Kaldur's sofa with a groan. "and now Megan thinks I'm being horrible to him but I'm not I just don't trust someone who says he loves someone and then trys to shag someone else. Like is that person really someone you can trust? Is he faithful?"

When Kaldur didn't respond Artemis said, "No!"

She buried her head in one of the throw pillows. "I feel like this is significant in some way but I don't know what and now I don't want him even so much as talking to Megs because he doesn't deserve her. At all. I don't want her to get hurt."

"Maybe you should tell her." Kaldur said.

Artemis snorted. "No way." She said. "Because then I'd have to tell Megs he liked her and knowing Megs she'd probably end up opting to go on a date with him because he's 'cute'."

"and you don't want that?"

"no." Artemis said strongly.

Kaldur nodded. "Interesting." He said and Artemis cocked her eyebrow. "You don't trust people easily do you?" Artemis shook her head. "Well maybe you have to consider that Wally is just as afraid of intimacy as you are."

Artemis let out a short, sharp laugh. "He stuck his hand down some tosser's blouse, I don't think intimacy is an issue for him."

Kaldur gave her a long look. "Sex and Intimacy aren't the same thing. It's the commitment and trust and honesty in a relationship. Wally might just be hesitant to confide in Megan until he's sure she feels the same way."

"So he's afraid of rejection?"

Kaldur nodded slowly. "In summary, yes. He may act like an over eager puppy when it comes to chasing skirts but sometimes people use that as a mask for how insecure they really are."

"Interesting." Artemis said at last. Her phone buzzed and she looked down. "Shit." She said, "I'm late for class, thanks so much." She collected her purse and got up.

"Just remember that Wally's just as afraid of putting himself out on the line as you are." Kaldur called.

No matter how insecure Wally was, it didn't excuse him from his actions.

.

.

.

The plan was hatched on Saturday evening when Artemis received the text from Conner inviting her, Megs, Dick and Roy to a late night swim at the pier.

And by swim he meant skinny dipping.

Artemis responded immediately saying she would go.

Dick and Roy both agreed to going to.

Megan agreed a little later on.

Artemis didn't bother packing a bathing suit, but she did stop by Target on her way there.

.

.

The great thing about Target was that they had a great deal of selection on embarrassing underwear.

She bought two pairs.

.

When she arrived everyone was just beginning to wade into the water.

Megan waved to her, "Artemis!" She called. "Come join us."

Artemis shook her head, "Later!" She yelled back. "I'm going to sit in the sand for a while."

She tried to ignore the fact that Wally was there as well, and he was half naked and the moon cast shadows over his perfect, toned physique.

She also tried to ignore the fact she felt a little (tiny) bit attracted to him but then again she would be attracted to any half naked guy with a six pack. So she turned away and grabbed Roy's and Dick's clothes and stuffed them in her beach bag and replaced them with granny panties and a lace thong.

She brushed her hands together and smiled.

She turned around, got back in her car and drove away before anyone could miss her. She also made sure to call Megan and tell her to make sure Dick and Roy didn't catch a ride with them.

.

.

The next morning was the best in her life.

Megan told the story in stunning detail, how she had told Dick and Roy that they couldn't some with them but that Artemis was coming back around to pick them up and with some very convincing acting on Megan's part they had bought it.

Megan and Wally and Conner drove the car a block down and went back to the beach to watch it go down.

They got to see Roy and Dick fight over the granny panties and then take the walk of shame back to the dorm (Roy had gotten stuck with the lace thong). Megan managed to snap a picture.

Artemis had laughed until she couldn't breath.

They were beyond pissed off and they had banged on Artemis' locked door for about an hour yelling about how they had passed people and how they had been laughed at.

There was no doubt that their revenge would be glorious.

But somehow Artemis couldn't wait for it.

.

_10/105 apology boxes. -dick_

_ p.s well played. Very well played. _


End file.
